Story Mound

Story Mound is a typical burial mound of the Adena culture, which lived in southern Ohio and neighboring parts of Kentucky and West Virginia between about 800 BCE and 100 CE. The Adena culture was named for the mound excavated on the estate of Thomas Worthington, known as Adena, located a quarter of a mile away. Story Mound is about 20 feet high and nearly 100 feet in diameter at the base. The Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society, now the Ohio History Connection, partially excavated Story Mound in May 1897. At the base of the mound, archaeologists found traces of wooden posts set into a circle about 15 feet in diameter. Along the north wall of this wooden structure, the mound's ancient American Indian builders had buried a young man. They also placed three groups of artifacts, including one set of six flint spear points, at different places inside the circle. The people of the Adena culture were the ancestors of the Hopewell culture, whose earthworks can be seen at Hopewell Culture National Historical Park.

Chillicothe, Ohio · United States